title: Pertussis immunisation and serious acute neurological illness in children.
abstract: The first 1000 cases notified to the National Childhood Encephalopathy Study were analysed. The diagnoses included encephalitis/encephalopathy, prolonged convulsions, infantile spasms, and Reye's syndrome. Eighty-eight of the children had had a recent infectious disease, including 19 with pertussis. Only 35 of the notified children (3.5%) had received pertussis antigen within seven days before becoming ill. Of 1955 control children matched for age, sex, and area of residence, 34 (1.7%) had been immunised with pertussis vaccine within the seven days before the date on which they became of the same age as the corresponding notified child. The relative risk of a notified child having had pertussis immunisation within that time interval was 2.4 (p less than 0.001). Of the 35 notified children, 32 had no previous neurological abnormality. A year later two had died, nine had developmental retardation, and 21 were normal. A significance association was shown between serious neurological illness and pertussis vaccine, though cases were few and most children recovered completely.
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000367:Age Factors; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D010567:Pertussis Vaccine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D013997:Time Factors; D006113:United Kingdom; D014611:Vaccination / Q000009:adverse effects; D014917:Whooping Cough / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D010567:Pertussis Vaccine